Scaffold bracing



Dec. 2, 1952 J. A. KIRKPATRICK 2,520,237

SCAFFOLD BRACING Filed Feb. 16, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Dec. 2, 1952 J. A. KIRKPATRICK SCAFFOLD BRACING 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 16, 1949 INVENTOR.

KAI/q ATTORNEYS.

(Z MAM, M? r Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Universal Manufacturing Corporation,

Zelienople, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 16, 1949, Serial No. 76,828

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to metal scaffolds, and more particularly to those that are assembled in any desired length and height from prefabricated end frames connected by removable braces.

Such a scaffold is shown in Weisz Patent No. 2,435,171. That scaffold is very satisfactory except where the workers on it are using mortar or cement. If they happen to drop some of that material, it is likely to strike the braces or bracereceiving sleeves on the outside of the scaffold legs next to the building where the scaffold is erected. In such a case the mortar or cement often splashes against the wall of the building from Which it then must be cleaned.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a scaffold in which the removable braces are attached to the inside of the end frame legs, in which the braces are moved horizontally into and out of operative position, and in which the braces are held in operative position by locking members permanently connected to the end frames.

According to this invention, a pair of spaced parallel end frames are held upright by removable side braces to form a scaffold. Each end frame has a pair of legs which are rigidly connected together by suitable cross braces. Brackets project from the sides of the legs substantially in the plane of the end frame and have vertical walls provided with slots extending inward toward the adjoining legs. Each removable brace for connecting the end frames together has end portions of greater height than the bracket slots, so the end portions are provided with vertical notches for receiving the bracket side walls to permit those end portions to be inserted laterally in the slots. Preferably, each bracket has a pair of the slotted side walls, and each end portion of each brace has both upper and lower notches spaced apart a distance only slightly less than the height of the bracket slots. The brace may be held in the bracket by retractable looking means, such as a vertically movable locking member mounted therein and adapted to extend across the outer face of the brace, or a locking member which is pivotally mounted in the bracket to permit it to be swung away from the adjoining brace.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a section of my scaffold; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1 to show the inner end of a bracket; Fig. 3 is a side view of the bracket taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bracket taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, of a modification of this invention; and Fig. '7 is a side view of an inclined brace.

Referrin to Fig. l of the drawings, a pair of spaced parallel prefabricated end frames each has vertical tubular legs I rigidly connected at their upper ends by a horizontal brace 2 upon'which wooden planking (not shown) may be placed to form a working platform. Crossed inclined braces 3 connect the horizontal brace to the lower portions of the legs. When the scaffold is assembled, the end frames are held upright by means of tubular side braces. Some of the braces 4 are inclined between the legs of one end frame and the legs of the other end frame, while the other braces 5 extend horizontally between diagonally opposite legs of the scaffold. The diagonal braces, in addition to strengthening the scaffold, also keep the scaffold truly square.

In order to connect the ends of the braces to the legs, brackets l are welded to each leg near its top and bottom. The brackets on each leg extend inwardly toward the other leg of the same frame. Therefore, the brackets are on th inside of the legs and in the plane of the end frames. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, each bracket has a vertical plate, preferably parallel side walls 8 generally spaced apart a distance about equal to the diameter of the adjoining leg, to which the ends of the walls are welded. These walls are connected at their top by a top plate 9. The inner end portions of the side walls may be connected by a vertical end plate I0 which forms a fiat rear wall for the bracket. The side walls of the bracket are provided with parallel horizontal slots H extending from their front or outer ends inward toward the supporting leg. The slots extend in at least as far as the front face of the rear plate Ill of the bracket. Each slot preferably has parallel upper and lower walls.

The braces 4 and 5 that fit in these brackets may be formed from lengths of pipe which have their end portions pinched together to flatten them and decrease their thickness. The width or height of each flattened end portion is considerably greater than the height of the bracket slots. Therefore, the top and bottom of the end portion are provided with vertical notches I3. These extend perpendicularly to the axis of a horizontal brace, and diagonally relative to the axis of an inclined brace as shown in Fig. 7. Each notch has parallel side walls and is wide enough to receive a side wall of a bracket. The vertical dlstance between the inner ends of the notches is such that the portion of the brace connecting the notches is just narrow enough to permit it to be moved laterally into a bracket slot while the portions of the side wall above and below the slot extend through the upper and lower notches. The end portion of the brace between the side walls of the bracket is long enough to extend from the particular wall supporting the brace across the bracket and substantially into engagement with the opposite wall to help steady the brace in the bracket. The tips of the inclined braces are cut off diagonally so that they will be parallel to the adjacent walls of the brackets. The ends of the horizontal braces are cut oil square for the same purpose.

In order to hold the braces in the brackets, the front portion of each top plate 9 is provided with a vertical opening from which a sleeve I extends upward a short distance. Slidably and rotatably mounted in this sleeve is a pin that has a head I! by which it can be turned and which limits the distance that the pin can extend down into the bracket. The lower end of the pin has a rectangular foot I8 that extends eccentrically from the pin and prevents it from being lifted out of the bracket. When the pin is in its normal lower position, this eccentric foot is at a level where it can substantially engage the outer face of the outermost brace in the bracket. The pin therefore keeps the braces from. sliding out of the bracket. The purpose of the eccentric foot is to hold the flattened end portions of the braces upright in the bracket even though there are only two braces. In other words, with two braces, the pin is rotated in its upper position until the widest part of the foot extends toward the braces. Then the pin is lowered into locking position. The flat side of the foot adjacent the braces will prevent the pin from rotating when it is in its lower position. The braces are readily removed from the bracket by merely lifting the locking pin and sliding the braces laterally out of the slots. It will be seen that no vertical movement of the braces is required in order to insert them in the brackets or to remove them therefrom. Consequently, the upper brackets can be located close to end frame brace 2.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the the bracket 2| is essentially the same as the one previously described, but the retractable locking member is different. In this embodiment a rivet, serving as a pivot pin 22, extends across the outer portion of each bracket and is rigidly mounted in the side walls 23 thereof below the horizontal slots 24. Rotatably mounted on this pin is a sleeve 26 from which a vane 21 extends radially. The vane normally is held in substantially vertical position against the outer face of a notched brace 5 in the bracket by means of a counterweight 28 connected to the bottom of the sleeve. By connecting the weight to the sleeve at a point between its vertical axial plane and the adjacent leg of the scaffold, the counterweight will swing the upper end of the vane in toward the next brace 4 if the outermost brace 5 is omitted. The braces can be removed from the bracket by merely pulling them out of the slots, which will cause them to swing the vane outward and downward against the resistance of the rising counterweight. Or, if desired, the vane can be swung by the fingers out to the broken line position shown in Fig. 6, so that the braces can be pulled out of the bracket.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

l. The combination with a pair of spaced vertical legs, of bracing comprising brackets projecting from the sides of the legs, each bracket having a wall provided with an open end slot extending from the outer end of the bracket inward toward the leg and also extending laterally entirely through said wall, a removable brace for connecting the legs together and having end portions mounted in said slots, said end portions being of greater height than said slots and provided with vertical notches receiving the outer ends of said walls, whereby to permit said end portions to be inserted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brace into the open-ends of the slots and moved inward toward the legs, and a locking member slidably supported by the outer end portion of each bracket and normally extending vertically across the outer face of a brace end portion in the bracket to hold the brace therein, said locking member being movable vertically away from said brace to permit the brace to be removed from the bracket, and said locking member being rotatable on a vertical axis and provided at its inner end with a laterally projecting eccentric portion.

2. The combination with a pair of vertical legs. of bracing comprising brackets projectingfrom the sides of the legs, each bracket having a side wall provided with an open end slot extending from the outer end of the bracket inward toward the leg and also extending laterally entirely through said wall, the slot having a substantially uniform height from end to end, a removable brace for connecting the legs together and having substantially flat end portions mounted in said slots, said end portions being of greater height than said slots but provided with vertical notches receiving portions of the adjoining walls, said end portions being movable only lengthwise of the slots to remove the brace from the brackets, each bracket having a top wall projecting laterally from the brackets side wall above the brace and toward its adjacent end, said top wall being provided with a vertical opening, and a locking pin slidably mounted in said opening and normally extending down across the outer face of a brace end portion in the bracket to hold the brace therein, said pin being adapted to be raised manually to permit the brace to be removed from the bracket.

3. The combination with a pair of vertical legs, of bracing comprising brackets projecting from the sides of the legs, each bracket having a side wall provided with an open end slot extending from the outer end of the bracket inward toward the leg and also extending laterally entirely through said Wall, the slot having a substantially uniform height from end to end, a removable brace for connecting the legs together and having substantially flat end portions mounted in said slots, said end portions being of greater height than said slots but provided with aligned upper and lower notches spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the height of a slot and receiving portions of the walls above and below the slots, whereby said end portions are movable only lengthwise of said slots to remove the brace from the brackets, each bracket having a top wall projecting laterally from the brackets side Wall above the brace and toward its adjacent end, said top wall being provided with a vertical opening, and a locking pin slidably mounted in said opening and normally extending down across the outer face of a brace end portion in the bracket to hold the brace therein, said pin being adapted to be raised manually to permit the brace to be removed from the bracket.

JOHN ALLEN KIRKPATRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

